WASHINGTON -- Dole Hands Clinton His Legislative Agenda / He and other leaders visit White House

Marc Sandalow, Chronicle Washington Bureau

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, March 21, 1996

1996-03-21 04:00:00 PDT Washington -- After a rocky month on the stump, Bob Dole was back in his element yesterday as he detailed an ambitious legislative agenda that will serve as a blueprint for his presidential campaign.

In an extraordinary start to a campaign that for the next couple of months will be fought up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, Dole and other congressional leaders traveled the 1 1/2 miles to the White House to personally deliver their priorities to President Clinton.

Dole and House Speaker Newt Gingrich made clear after the meeting that they intend to pass a series of conservative measures, forcing President Clinton into the politically difficult position of either accepting GOP measures, or defending the status quo. High on the Republican's list are measures for a balanced budget, term limits, tax cuts, welfare and Medicaid overhaul, regulatory and legal change, Dole said.

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VOTE ON ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

But the perils of battling Clinton from Capitol Hill were evident as the day wore on, when House Republicans suddenly scheduled a vote for later this week to repeal the popular assault weapons ban.

That vote could put Dole in an uncomfortable position himself, forcing him to choose between opposing the popular gun ban, or reneging on a promise to the National Rifle Association.

Gingrich and Dole promised the NRA early last year they would try to pass a bill repealing the 1994 ban on 19 types of semiautomatic weapons, but the bill was put on hold after the April 19 bombing at the Oklahoma City federal building that killed 169 people.

Representative Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement: "It is fitting that the first thing the House does after Bob Dole clinches the Republican (presidential) nomination is to begin repealing the assault weapons ban. We will fight this vote by vote."

The Senate has been mostly in recess as Dole pursued his party's nomination, a task that took a couple of weeks longer than he had anticipated. Now that Dole has returned to his Senate work, every action taken by Congress will be viewed as a political statement.

WHITE HOUSE VS. CONGRESS

Not since 1960, when Senator John F. Kennedy and Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson ran against Vice President Richard Nixon, has a presidential election so squarely pitted the White House against congressional leaders.

Each side insisted yesterday that despite the obvious conflict, there remains a window of opportunity between now and August's political conventions to pass meaningful legislation.

"We laid out our priorities, the president laid out his priorities," Dole said after the White House meeting. "Hopefully, together we can work out America's priorities."

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-N.D., said, "We really have one of two choices: We can either govern or we can play politics."

The political sensitivity of the situation was apparent by the GOP's demand to cancel a routine photo opportunity at the start of the meeting.

Both sides said they would not resume serious balanced-budget negotiations until after Congress returns from its Easter recess in April.

The GOP leaders did reach agreement with Clinton on how to handle the short-term fiscal problems that must be resolved in the next few weeks to maintain the federal government's borrowing and spending authority and keep agencies functioning.

White House press secretary Mike McCurry said Clinton had given a provisional approval to Republican plans to add three unrelated measures to next week's expected extension of the federal debt limit. Republicans also pledged to send Clinton requested legislation to increase anti-terrorism efforts in Israel.

Gingrich himself made it clear that Dole's election is a top priority of the GOP Congress.

"Getting (Dole) elected to the presidency is the highest value this party has, and we think we have a chance to increase House seats and increase Senate seats on a ticket with Bob Dole. And so I think it is our job to work with him."

For Dole, the return to the nitty-gritty of lawmaking seemed a thankful relief from the long battles with rival presidential candidates.